Blue Jays rally to clip Red Devils

Sometimes it is not how you start, but how you finish.
Such was the case Thursday night in the second-annual Joe Nagata Memorial jamboree as St. Edmund scored with 1:14 left in the game and added a two-point conversion to grab a 8-7 win over Port Barre.
“I didn’t see any reason for a tie,” St. Edmund head coach Thomas David said of his decision to go for two points to win the game. “We challenged our to kids to execute because we may need to do that in a real game.”
Trailing 7-0 with 3:05 remaining in the game, the Blue Jay defense stopped the Red Devils on a fourth-down pass attempt.
The St. Edmund offense had been held in check the entire game, but the Blue Jays then mounted an eight-play, 73-yard scoring drive.
Drew Brown connected with Austin Sittig, Cullen Brown and Drake Brunet on crucial pass plays to move the ball down the field.
Brown found Cole Bergeron open for a 27-yard scoring strike and then hit Brunet in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion.
A critical quarterback sack by Lathan Lyons and combined with three straight incomplete passes by Austin Lanclos sealed the Blue Jay win.
The Red Devils scored early in the contest after recovering a fumbled snap at the Blue Jay 42.
After a strong run by Sidney Pickney, Red Devil quarterback Lanclos connected with Tyler Ledoux for a touchdown.
Lanclos added the extra point to push the Red Devils ahead, 7-0 with 8:05 left in the first half.
The Blue Jay offense struggled early in the game with a lost fumble, an interception and a punt in their first three possessions.
“They dominated the trenches up front,” David said of the Red Devils. “We need to work on that heading into the season.
“We need to bolster our run defense but we did make some stops when we needed to.”
The St. Edmund defense did hold after the Red Devil touchdown to force missed 34-yard field goal attempt and stopped Port Barre at midfield as time expired in the first half.
After moving the ball close to Red Devil territory to open the second half, St. Edmund then stopped Port Barre at the Blue Jay 27 to set up the game-winning drive.
“We made a lot of mental mistakes in the first half,” David said. “But we came back when it counted and found a way to execute and get it done.”